Documentary on the travels of Bloch in North Dakota now available! Bloch, an interactive global art project featuring a large tree trunk, is making one stop at each continent and North Dakota was selected as the North American location. The North Dakota Council on the Arts, in July and August 2014, participated in this global art project. The project involves a large spruce tree log that is traveling to every continent. The idea is to have communities interact with the log to communicate something to the world. North Dakota represented the North American continent through interaction with folk artists and folk communities. When Bloch came to North Dakota, it was bare. No artistic work was done to it even though it previously traveled to Europe and Asia. So, inspired by the Great Plains American Indian tradition, we interacted with the tree by transforming it into a “global talking stick” to communicate to the world who we are and what we are about. The Bloch made appearances at the Downtown Fargo Street Fair, Napoleon and the Nokota Horse Conservancy in Linton, Taylor Horsefest, Fort Totten Days, Spirit Lake Indian Reservation, Rugby, Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation, and the Hjemkmost Center in Fargo/Moorhead. As part of the project, a 23-minute documentary was produced showing Bloch’s travels throughout North Dakota and the folk artists who interacted with and transformed the log. All the artwork shown on and with the log were done here. Due to time constraints and other factors, not every traditional artist or art form was able to be shown, though all are appreciated greatly. However, all the artists, sponsors, and local coordinators who participated are included in the credits at the end. The video is now available online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0W1NHf0JHY&index=4&list=UUKYnhL22CP3OENrjFAJxQdg. Thank you to everyone who participated and contributed your talents, be it artistic or logistical, to the success of the North Dakota/North American component of this project. Thank you for presenting our area of the world in such a positive way. For more information, pictures and updates, be sure to visit on the Bloch-Blog at http://bloch23781.com/home/category/news; or on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/comcomart?fref=ts.

North Dakota Council on the Arts

It is our mission to promote, preserve and perpetuate the arts in North Dakota.